The Hallelujah Chorus Stands Strong

    Why are there certain traditions? Who starts the traditions? Is there a reason they are still continued today? To end the Christmas season, let's take a look at one of the longest running Christmas traditions still standing to date.

    George Frederic Handle received an invitation from the Lord Lieutenant of Dublin in 1741 to write a new oratorio for a Charity. The money proceeds went to Mercer's Hospital, the Charitable Infirmary, and the Prisoners' Debt Relief.

    It was recorded around 700 people came to hear Handel's Messiah. It was a big event that they asked women not to wear hooped skirts and for the men not to have their swords. Most of the guest honored the request, including King George II. It was claimed that during the Hallelujah Chorus that the King stood up for the performance.

    But, what made the crowd stand?.... According to tradition, whenever a king or queen stood, it was expected of everyone else in the room to stand. They could not sit until the royal person sat first. To this day, people still honor King George II and Handel by standing today.

   As Christmas has come by this year and has already left, what will remain in your heart? Was there a Christmas tradition that stuck out to you? Was there something that you have wonder about? I wonder if my actions will bring a tradition that people will respect 200 years from now? Or if I will destroy one? People stood in honor of king, what will they do about my actions?... Probably nothing for I am not important; but something I do might stand out to a single person who could change the world. I base my decisions after my Messiah. For He is the one the king stood for and people continue to stand today. Who or what will you stand for?.....

"For unto us a Child is born,
unto us a Son is given:
and the government shall be upon His shoulder:
and His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty Go
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace."

Christmas 1914: The Christmas Miracle

    Can a miracle take place in today's world? If you were to see one, how would you react to it? Would this miracle change the people around it? What would your role be in this miracle?

    The Christmas Truce of 1914 is history in the making. The story of soldiers freezing in the cold and having little hope have inspired many people. For this Christmas special, let's see what made this miracle so important.

    Pope Benedict XV had originally wanted a Christmas truce but was rejected. Though, could this idea of a truce been carried to the men in the trenches?... (No one exactly knows how the truce began, but all accounts have the common factor of Christmas Carols.)

    To partake in the war, the men had to make trenches. The early trenches were made poorly and mostly flooded. Depending how poorly the trench were constructed, the men were easily targeted by snipers. The men were surrounded by mud and fallen bodies.  There was little hope for any celebration.

    The first account of the Christmas Miracle. The British and the Germans received gifts their fellow-country. The men were boosting to each by yelling insults. Apparently, some of the trenches were so close together that yelling to each other was a daily task. The Germans gave the Brits a birthday cake and asking them for a cease fire that night. For the Germans wanted to celebrate their Captain's birthday. The Brits replied saying they would keep a cease-fire and gave the Germans tobacco as a return gift.

    The Germans planned on having a concert for their Captain. They asked the Brits if they would join them in singing. One British soldier replied "We'd rather die than sing German." to which a German joked aloud "It would kill us if you did." Eventually, men from each side would join in with the singing. This is when all the other accounts of the Christmas Miracle share the common element. It was through Christmas caroling that the men began to interact. Men sang Christmas carols in English and in German. the verses may say not matched but their spirits did. The most recognized song was Silent Night which was the inspired title to a book about that night.


    Unarmed Germans crossed over no-man's land to the Brit's side. They came over to wish them Merry Christmas. The men went back over to their side. Not long after, the Brits and the Germans were fraternizing with each other. This was against the officers orders. Men still went out and exchanged addresses, photos, and the very little that the had.

    One depressed account that was told was when the soldiers were gathering up their dead. They chose Christmas for the day because they knew the other side would probably not be in the mood to shoot at the men. While both sides claimed their dead men to bury them, they struck up conversations with each other. Some men could only communicate through singing. By the end of the day, the men were playing soccer and having a wonderful day.

 

 

    No matter how that day is seen or how different each lines started their truce. It is amazing to know that it happened through singing. That these men fighting for different sides made a truce with the enemy for days. Some even became friends and wrote to each other. What will you be remembered for? Will you be the person singing a song that the Lord hath given you?... Or will you keep your mouth quiet and never witness a miracle. Just remember, it was a few men that made the miracle happen.

Will you keep singing?

Christmas Shoes

    What stories have impacted in your life? Is there any one you see or hear that makes you want to make a difference. With the Christmas here, people tend to be in the Christmas. What does this mean?... People tend to have the spirit of joy, giving, love, peace, and tend to wish for a Christmas miracle.

    The song Christmas Shoes by New Song is very special to my family. It was Christmas Eve when my parents discovered that my mother had cancer. They kept it a secret from my siblings and I until New Year's Eve for they wanted us to have a special Christmas. My sibling and I were very young at this time. My little sister did not understand what was happening at this time. My two sisters love this song and listen to it every year. In fact, my sisters and my mother made it a tradition to watch the movie every year for Christmas. My brother and I refuse to watch the movie and listen to the song for it is too painful to bare.

    Christmas Shoes is a song heard around the world. How did this song become so popular?... The answer simple is because it was based off of a true story. Helga Schmidt came across a little boy and his sister buying shoes for their dying mother in Alco, Kansas. They were three dollars short which Helga Schmidt provided for them. According to Schmidt, the little boys words stayed in here head. He was quoted "these shoes will match the streets of gold in heaven."

    The story made it in Schmidt's church's bulletin before it was published in her book Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul. By the 1990s, the story circulated around the internet attracting many readers.

    DC Chymes from St. Louis Radio stumbled upon the story on the internet. He asked Eddie Carswell to write a song based on the narrative. It took two years for Chymes and Leonard Ahlstrom to complete the song. The song was first introduced on New Song's album the Sheltering Tree as a bonus track. The group was not impressed with their version of the song and later revised it. The song was later played on the radio and became an instant hit. A year later, New Song entitled their newest Album Christmas Shoes. 

    Carwell introduced his friend Donna VanLiere to the song who thought it would make an excellent book. There are six books in the series and four movies based off the books. In the early 2000s, the song was turned into a Christian Cantata.

    It amazes me how this story has had so many many outlets and affected so many lives. To this day, I can not hear this song without thinking of my mother and the impact she had on me. when I hear this song, I think of all the good Christmases I had and how the Lord has been kind to me. I can only pray that this story will have an effect on people's lives like had on me. What in life is a good remembrance to you? What story or song could be written about your life that will effect the ones around you?...

Jeremiah 29:11
God has an expected end for you

    I hope you will enjoy the song.

Can A Mistake Be Used For Good?

    Have you ever done anything wrong in your life before? Was the mistake a big one? Or a little one? Was the change for good? Or was it for bad? What if I told you one invention that became a failure ended up being a major company when shipping items....

    Bubble wrap was created in 1957. The invention at the time was not intended to ship items but to be made for wall paper. The inventors, Alfred W. Fielding and Marc Chanannes designed bubble wrap to be three-dimensional type of wall paper. Unfortunately, their product was a failure.

    The men could have packed up and left the bubble wrap in the back of their minds as a failure. The men realized that they still had a good product that could be used for something. In 1960, the men turned their bubble wrap into the invention of protecting people's items as they were being mailed and shipped.

    The first carrier for Bubble wrap was IBM. It was used to protect their IBM 1401 computer during shipment. They have new designs for their bubble wrap. The company is now worth billion of dollars. Though the company makes a ton of money, there is no greater joy than seeing a child playing with their piece of bubble wrap. No child nor adult alike cannot see a piece of bubble wrap without getting the urge to pop. Fielding and Chananners may get a lot of money with Bubble Wrap but it brings more joy to the players than the buyers.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he
is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold
all things are become
new.